Game apparatus



(No Modelf) E. L. COFFIN.

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 517,262, Patented Mar. 27, 1894.

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i UNITED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD L. COFFIN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,262, dated March 27, 1894.

Application led June 22, 1893- Serial No. 473,421. (No model.)

.'Zo @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD L. COFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an entertaining gameapparatus for parlor use.

To this end, the invention consists of certain apparatus and method of playing, which will be hereinafter fully described, the novel features of which will be defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, the single figure represents the game apparatus.

This apparatus comprises a board or ground eld A, having marked thereon a stepped course, which as shown, is indicated by star marks in black, the said star marks, as shown, being arranged to form a square or parallelogram with diagonal lines having a sun-mark a at their intersection or at the center of the square. The star-marks are distinguished into common and honor values. The small star marks a are all of like value, as denoting one step in the course; but the large starmarksc, at the corners of the course, are of a special or honor value, as will more fully hereinafter appear. The large star-marks outside the rectangular course, indicated by the letter a3, serve to point out the proper positions for entering the movable men manipulated by the player. These marks 0,3, may for distinction be hereinafter called, the star pointers. The proper positions for the respective players are opposite these star-pointers as.

B represents the movable men or pieces, which for convenience, may be hereinafter called the star-men. Of these star-men, tive,

as shown, are providedfor each player; four of which are of a common size and marked b; and one of which, marked b', is of larger size, and has a special point value in the scoring, as will hereinafter appear.

The several groups of starmen B, are distinguished in any suitable way, as by different coloring, indicated on the drawing by different shadin gs.

It has already been stated, that the corner stars a2 of the course, have not only the ordinary one step value of the small star-marks a', but have certain special or honor values in the course, with respect to the different players. These honor values depend on the position of the respective corner star-marks a2, with respect to the players, as long as any of the particular players lstar-men B remain unentered; and depend upon the position of the rearmost star-man of any particular player, after all of his star-men have been entered. These several honor values of the corner starmarks a2, are named in script, on the drawing, at the corners of the board. TheV first corner star-mark a2, to the right of the player, if any of his men remain unentered, would be his first star. The next corner star-mark a2, would be his second star. The third corner star-mark a2, would be his crown; and the fourth corner star-mark, would be his double crown. Afterall the star-menB,of any particular player have been entered, the honors become cumulative toward and upon the final or double crown star-mark a2. For instance, if the players rearmost man be past that players originalfirst corner star-mark a2, then his original second star, will be treated as his rst star, the original crown star as his second star; and the original double crown, will be treated both as the crown and double crown star. So the honors accumulate on the double crown star-mark, until, if the players rearmost man (all being' entered) be beyond his original crown star, the original double crown would be treated as first star, second star, crown and double crown.

In addition to the board, marked as described, and the movable star-men, the game apparatus comprises a deck of cards distinguishing common and honor combination course values. The deck is preferably composed of twenty-four cards, sixteen of which are marked to denote common course values, from one to five; three of which are marked, as with the word Oombinationf to distinguish the same as combination honor cards, and also with the word One, to indicate their common value,when not used with honor cards; and Iive honor cards, marked, respectively, five, first star; ten, second star; fteen, crown; twenty, double crown; and court. The numbers 5, 10, 15 and 20, printed on these honor cards, indicate their common or i course value, when in the absence of combina tion cards from the hand, it is not possible to use the same, according to their honor value. In the drawing, four full hands of six cards each, properly marked, are shown in the posilions, with respect to the board A, which would be occupied by the players. These hands of cards are indicated by the letter U. The cards, it will thus be seen, differ in course value, and determine the movements of the star-men.

lliethocl ofpZag/r-Whe it is obvious, that the apparatus is adapted for manipulation under various methods of play, to form interesting games, I prefer and have especially designed the same for a point or score system of play; and have arbitrarily xed the winning or game number at thirty-seven points. On account of certain snperiicial rescmblances in the manner of scoring, I have called the game star cinch. The game is designed for four persons, although it may be played by three. The players take positions; all the cards are dealt out, one at a time to the respective players; and the first player to the left of the dealer begins the play; and the deal passes from the right toward the leftg-all exactly as in whist. The starmen B are entered ou the course, one at a time, at the star-pointers, by the respective players, and are moved on the course toward the right, according to the course value of the common or combination honor cards, from which the play is made in the particular hand. The effort is to enter all the starmen and `move the same entirely around the course onto the particular players double crown star-mark a2, 'to-wit; the corner starmark to his left, and thence, by way of the diagonal line, into the court, directly at the players front and between the course and the central sun. The corners or honor starmarks a2 are points or positions of safety for the stammen. From all the other, or common value star-marks ct, an advance players starman, or star-men stacked thereon, may be overtaken, by a subsequent players star-man, or stack of star-m en, and be thrown back off the course to the unentered or star-pointer position. There are no blockades. Stacking of several star-men on a single star-mark and the movement of the entire stack as a single man, is permissible. This gives hope of rapid progress; but runs the risk of the entire stack being knocked off the course and returned for reentry at the star-pointer. Suppose the cards to have been dealt to four players and the hands to be as shown in the drawing, the man to the right having been the dealer. The cards must be used, first of all to enter the men; and at the time of entry, the particular man entered may be moved as far as indicated by the course value of the card from which the play was made. After all the starmen of any player have been entered, any one man or stack of men may then be moved ou the course, according to the course value of the card. If the player have only cards of common value, as two, three, four, five, dac.; or even have honor cards, as first star, second star, crown and double crown, without the presence of a combination card, in his hand, he is confined to the simple or course values numbered at the top ot' the card. If, however, the hand contain one or more combination cards, together with one or more honor cards, then the player can ava-il himself of the honor value of his honer cards in succession. For example, in the drawing, the first hand having a combination card, together with three honor cards, could first play from either of said three honor cards. Playing according to highest value, the said first player would first use the double crown card, entering one of his men and moving the same on the course to the double crown or corner star at his left. On his next play, he would enter a man and use his second value honor card secondstar,7 moving his man on the course to the second corner star toward the right. On his third play, he would play from his single honor or first star card, entering his man and placing him on the .first star to his right. Thereafter, he would have to play from the remaining three sim ple value cards, the comf bination card having a simple value of one step, as denoted at the top of the card. As the plays are made, the cards from which the plays are made, by each player, are turned down. The combination cards are held as long as any honor cards remain in the hand; as otherwise, the honor values of the honor cards cannot be utilized. In the foregoing stated order of play for the first hand, it has been assumed that the honor Value star marks a2 remain clear for the second and third plays of the first player; but if the same had been occupied by men belonging to some of the other players, it would not have been possible for the first player to have availed himself of the honor values of his honor cards. In that event, he would have been confined to the common value of his cards and would have played either from one of his low value cards, or played one of his honor cards at its common, instead of its honor value. He might also prefer to utilize the honor cards at their common values, in orderto catch and set back another players man. The particular player who happens to hold the high honor or court card, as the fourth player in the drawing, can place one of his men, directly into the court, whether before entered or not; and if he havea stack of men anywhere on the course, he can move the entire stack directly into the court. The presence of a combina IOO tion card is not necessary, to utilize the value cumulativel on the fourth corner or double c rown star, as hitherto noted. This progresslon of the corner star honors, maybe readily remembered, by noting that any given players, first honor star, is always in advance of h1s rearmost man, and the honors accumulate .on the fourth corner or double crown, as rapldly as necessary, to give the full set. It will require at least live cards of the rst hand, to enter all the men. It may require many more out of succeeding hands, according to the number of back-sets received by the star-men. After all the cards of the first hand have been played, the cards are redealt, the deal passing to the left, as in whist, and the play is continued. At thev end of every third deal, the board is cleared, and all the star-men are restored to the star-pointer positions. This tepds to even up the chances in spite of backse s.

Score-Each player works for himself, and the first to gain thirty-seven points, according to the following score, wins the game. The score is, of course, to be kept by one of the players or bystander. The score points are as follows: For every common value or small star-man b, overtaken and back-set by any given player, the said player is allowed two points. For every large star-m an b', or honor point value piece, overtaken and set back, the player is' allowed tive points. For every small star-man b, landed in the court, the player is allowed three points. For every large star-man b', landed in. the court, the player is allowed seven points. The points thus made continue to count up as in a game of cinch, until some one of the players reaches thirty-seven pointsand wins the game.

It is obvious, that a simpler form of game would be afforded by dispensing with the score and making-the winning of the game to turn on first landing all the star-men of some one of the players in his court. The point or score game is, however, more interesting on account of the wider range and greater room for calculation.

By actual usage, I have demonstrated the entertaining character of this game.

In respect to the method of play, it should be further noted, that if any player lands all his star-men in his court, before his hand is played out, he turns down his cards and ceases to play until the remaining players have played out their hands or set of three hands, when, upon the board being cleared, he will again join in the play. It should also be noted, that with the exception of the combination cards, the hands are to be kept concealed. The combination cards are to be shown, so as to evidence title to play honor cards.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A game apparatus, comprising a board marked with a stepped course of travel, movable pieces for traversing said course, and a deck of cards of varying value, certain of which are marked with common or individual values, and others of which are marked with both individual and combination values, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A game apparatus, comprising a board marked with a stepped course of travel, distinguishing common and honor value steps, movable pieces for traversing said course, and a deck of cards of varying value, certain of which are marked'with common or individual values, and others of which are marked with both individual and combination values, substantially as described. p,

3. A game apparatus, comprising a board marked with a stepped course of travel, distinguishing common and honor value steps, movable pieces for traversing said course, certain of which represent common values and others of which represent honor values, and a deck of cards certain of which are marked with common orindividual values, and others of which are marked with both individual and combination values, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD L. COFFIN.

Witnesses:

EMMA F. ELMoRn, JAS. F. WILLIAMSON. 

